A Couple of Stories I forgot to Tell you About

There were a couple of stories that I forgot to mention in my previous blog entries. 

The first one was while I was being finger printed at the airport.  It was a lengthy procedure as the custom’s official was having trouble with the equipment and he had to keep rubbing the glass box with class cleaner and then offering me bits of tissue to do the same with my fingers and thumbs.  Anyway he was randomly shouting at other people, standing up and waving his arms when suddenly he unzipped his fly, puts his hand inside and proceeds to have a rummage around.  He was obviously having difficulty getting himself nice and comfortable as he did it again 10 minutes later.  This is in full view of everyone, with Martin standing next to me.  What’s that all about?

An example of the Burkha - veil with mesh so that you cannot see the eyes - freaks me out.

The other story I forgot to mention was in the Granada Mall in the cosmetic department in Debenhams.  Do you remember a while back, in the UK, where there was a newspaper story about a muslim woman who was refused a job as a hairdresser in a salon because she wore a hijab (scarf).  The argument was that hairdressers also model different styles and hair colours themselves.  This story had always stuck in my mind because I wasn’t sure whether I agreed or disagreed with this argument.  Here is the link if you are interested Click here for news story

Anyhow, the reason I bring this up is that it was interesting to see the girls behind the make-up counters were all dressed in Niqab (everything covered other than the eyes).  Now I do think that a lot of ladies behind cosmetic counters in the UK wear an awful lot of make-up but it is very strange indeed to not be able to see the faces of the cosmetic assistants at all.  I am sure that when they go home and show their faces freely, they are probably plastered in the stuff, but it just seems strange to be talking make-up with someone when you can’t see their face and what they have on it.  I realise I am trying to compare 2 different situations. 

What I accept as fact from a western point of view “I want to see that you are practicing what you preach” when being offered make-up advice / products perhaps needs to be questioned.  Do I really need to see their faces covered in make-up?  How does that influence my purchases?  The same argument applies to the hairdresser situation.  

Does the state of my hairdresser’s hair influence my decision as to whether to use their services or not or to dictate the style I would choose?  Well yes it does actually.  I have often said “I want it like her’s.”, pointing to a girl half my age and style and I like it when my hairdresser changes their style or the colour regularly.  Having said that, my hairdressers over the years have mainly been men.  

Seriously, it is a valid point.